Humanism and anti-humanism in the 20th century. The Philosophy of Man by Hans Urs von Balthasar

Abstract

The present article begins with a reflection on the presence of humanism and anti-humanism in the philosophy of the 20th century, and then concentrates on the salient features of the philosophy of man after the second World War: the positions of E. Lévinas, M. Heidegger, J. P. Sartre, and K. Barth are examined briefly. Against this background, the author studies the philosophical humanism of Hans Urs von Balthasar, stressing first of all his way of conceiving the real distinction between being and beings, which is connected with a particular treatment the transcendentals. Anthropology is thus based on the philosophy of being; but above all it is closely tied to Christology, because man is always thought in Christ. The final part of the article dwells on the theme of intersubjectivity or the communion of persons, which provides contemporary thought with an important contribution to develop.